Classical Kannada centre struggling for a roof of its own

Almost 10 years since the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK) was sanctioned to Karnataka, the facility is struggling to have a building of its own.

After dilly-dallying over the location, the state government appears to have finalised a 4.2-acre plot in the University of Mysore premises.

But a full-fledged building can only materialise if the Ministry of Education clears the MoU required to set it up.

Activists have decried the laxity over the centre that has moved from one location to another and pointed out the example of its Tamil counterpart, which has grown in leaps and bounds.

CESCK was cleared by the Centre in 2011, three years after Kannada was accorded the classical language status. Despite demands by various language groups to get it up and running, successive governments have dragged their heels on granting funds and make it fully operational.

Currently, CESCK is run by a skeletal crew at the University of Mysore's National Centre for History of Science (NCHS), where it moved to on November 2020 after operating from the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) for nine years.

Speaking to DH, Kannada Development Authority chairperson TS Nagabharana said that there aren't enough research publications from CESCK, hindering its progress. "The facility has not taken up enough research and publication. Rather than waiting for money from the Centre, CESCK should have published research and then sought funds," he said.

The CIIL director has written to the education ministry to clear the MoU, which will permit CESCK to use the 4.20 acres allotted at the varsity premises in Mysuru.

"The letter was sent 9-10 months ago and the ministry is expected to approve it soon," Nagabharana said.

Arun Javgal, organising secretary, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, disputed Nagabharana's claim, saying that though the location for CESCK was finalised in 2017, funding from the Centre has delayed its progress.

"According to a response in Parliament, Tamil research has received Rs 50 crore from the Centre in the last eight years, while Sanskrit got Rs 1,200 crore. Kannada, being a classical language, got only Rs 8 crore," he said.

To a question, he said that a few people are now blaming the state for CESCK delays, even if the onus is on the Centre to allot funds for the language research centre. "Unlike Kannada, classical Tamil has a fully-furnished facility," he said.

Check out latest videos from DH: